During a Houston radio appearance Sunday, Will Lyles responded to accusations that he steered former Texas high school football recruit Lache Seastrunk to Oregon in exchange for a $25,000 payment from the school.
In an interview with KCOH-AM’s Craig Shelton (audio above), Lyles said that the University of Texas was the driving force behind a “well-staged” media campaign designed to discredit him. A campaign Lyles told Shelton was originated, “when I didn’t want to steer kids their [Texas] way.”
Of the University of Texas football program Lyles said, “they thought they lost out on kids [because of Lyles]” and that “Lache Seastrunk [of Temple, Texas] is the kid that was in question about Oregon.”
Here’s an excerpt of the exchange between Lyles and Shelton on KCOH-AM (1430) on June 19, 2011:
Lyles: I felt that it [media campaign to discredit Lyles] was brought about in a very meticulous manner and it was very well staged and set up.
Shelton: Staged and set up by whom?
Lyles: By the University of Texas.
Shelton: Why?
Lyles: Because they did not want to see me in recruiting. First off, they thought they lost out on kids ..
Shelton: [Interrupts Lyles] Give me a name, give me a kid ..
Lyles: Lache Seastrunk is the kid that was in question about Oregon. They’re [University of Texas] trying to say basically that the kid signed there because I got paid $25,000 [by Oregon, so] I persuaded the kid to sign there.
Shelton: So this is the problem about the $25,000?
Lyles: Right. That’s the problem about the $25,000. They [Texas] are trying to say that basically I influenced that kid to go to that university.
Shelton: Do you think there are any scouting services that have ever been paid to influence a kid to go to Texas?
Lyles: I guarantee there’s been high school coaches who have. I don’t know about scouting services. I know they deal with a few scouting services themselves. They actually used to be a client of mine when I was with MSLSports.net in 2007.
And when I didn’t want to steer kids their way [to Texas] that’s when the relationship became strained. That’s when they [Texas] began the vendetta against me personally.
Monday Oregon released emails between Lyles and the Oregon football staff concerning recruiting. In one such email sent to Oregon football staffer Jim Fisher on Jan. 24, 2011, Lyles forwarded a recruiting profile of Texas high school football prospect Matt Davis to the Oregon assistant director of football operations:
Two months ago Davis verbally committed to Texas A&M.
Oregon also recently released a 143-page document attributed to Lyles titled, “Complete Scouting Services 2010 National High School Evaluation Booklet.”
Though the front page of the “Complete Scouting Services” document from Lyles indicated the booklet was for 2010, each of the 140 profiles of individual high school football prospects in the “evaluation booklet” was titled, “2011″.
George Schroeder of the EUGENE REGISTER-GUARD reported of those 140 high school prospect profiles provided by Lyles’ Complete Scouting Services to Oregon:
At least 115 were from the class that graduated from high school in 2009. Three were from 2010 and one was from 2008. Class year was not available for several players.
It was also verified by Schroeder and other media members that the evaluation booklet sent to the Oregon football program by Lyles - in addition to a $25,000 purchase order/invoice dated Feb. 22, 2010 - contained no prospects identifiable as members of the 2011 recruiting class.
Of Lyles’ involvement with now-defunct MSLSports.net, which he confirmed in the Sunday interview with KCOH-AM’s Shelton, one of the player recruiting profiles submitted to Oregon by Lyles included the text: “MSL Sports.net Ranking“:
The remaining 139 profiles from Lyles to Oregon did not contain the “MSL Sports.net Ranking” text, a discrepancy which was first reported by SI.com’s Andy Staples.
Before Lyles started his Complete Scouting Services business, he previously worked for a company called Elite Scouting Services.
Here is an excerpt from the current “About” website page for Elite Scouting Services:
Our comprehensive scouting program is tailored precisely for your football programs needs. Our service not only provides you with in-depth information on the student athletes, but also creates relationships with players, their families, and coaches as well. Our video component and website allow you to access player information and highlight film from any computer. ESS will become an extension of your own coaching staff, a group of scouts that will recruit year round saving you precious time and money. Our goal is to dissect your immediate and long term recruiting needs and build a personalized service around your program.
Here is an excerpt from the current “About Us” page from the Complete Scouting Services 143-page prospect report sent to Oregon:
Our comprehensive scouting program is tailored precisely for your football programs needs. Our service not only provides you with in-depth information on the student athletes, but also creates relationships with players, their families, and coaches as well. Our video component and website allow you to access player information and highlight film from any computer. CSS will become an extension of your own coaching staff, a group of scouts that will recruit year round saving you precious time and money. Our goal is to dissect your immediate and long term recruiting needs and build a personalized service around your program.
Here’s an image comparing the Complete Scouting Services “About Us” document sent by Lyles to Oregon to the website page of Lyles former employer Elite Scouting Services labeled “About”:
On March 4, 2011, NCAA associate director of Agent, Gambling and Amateurism activities Angie Cretors sent an email to Oregon Executive Assistant Director, Compliance Bill Clever. An image of that email and a text excerpt from it is below:
Per our discussion this morning, we wanted to follow-up with an on records and documents that we are currently requested. Below is a list of those records that we are requesting related to the University of Oregon football program:
1) All official/unofficial visit records from past two years
2) Recruiting logs for past 2 years
3) All documentation (contracts, invoices, billing statements, correspondence, services provided)
pertaining to institution’s use of scouting services for the past two years.
4) Detailed accounting of ínstitution’s financial records related to Will Lyles, Baron Flenory, Complete Scouting, New Level Athletics, and Speed Dynamics and all other scouting services.
“Speed Dynamics” was the name of a Houston-based, speed-training operation for athletes originated by Lyles in the mid-’90s before he joined MSLSports.net, Elite Scouting Services and started Complete Scouting Services.
The Oregon football program and athletic department has yet to comment publicly on any of the documents released by the school Monday.
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4:40 pm on June 21st, 2011
I like the part about Texas paying high school coaches.
4:52 pm on June 21st, 2011
I like the part where they say they “recruit” year round.arent you just talent evaluators? Goodbye Duckies
5:03 pm on June 21st, 2011
Cheaters are ruining college football. I don’t even want to watch it anymore.
5:08 pm on June 21st, 2011
Looks as though Chips hurry up offense,is really an extension of “speed dynamics”..therefore we have found a quality term to lable it..though it has no ring to it at all..lol. “The New Hampshire Speed Dynamic Offense” #ifailed
5:14 pm on June 21st, 2011
“Because they did not want to see me in recruiting”
LOL Is he serious? I thought he was only a scout. Why would UT have to worry about him in recruiting if he’s just a scout? UT administration aren’t even the ones that put his business out on the net. It was pissed off UT fans who were mad because the perception was Mack was passing over kids in TX w/elite talent who were associated with Lyles. Fans on Shaggybevo have been calling this guy out since 2009 as well as on other UT fan sites. Those blogs exposing Lyles are written by fans. LOL What an idiot.
5:20 pm on June 21st, 2011
BTW if he can guarantee high school coaches are being paid by UT, he needs to name names. Guy is full of hot air. UT doesn’t need to pay anybody for recruits. If they were, they’d get everybody they wanted out of TX and definitely wouldn’t have lost out on talent like Adrian Peterson and quite a few others they’ve lost over the years.
5:34 pm on June 21st, 2011
So he says Texas was mad he wasn’t pushing kids their direction. I’m assuming coincidentally Texas was paying him $0 and Oregon was paying him $25,000.
With the top notch product he seems to produce who wouldn’t pay for that? It’s almost as if Oregon coaches never used or looked at that report it was so worthless. Nah, then it would be like they paid the $25k for something else. Hmm, would could it be??
5:53 pm on June 21st, 2011
So it is a great grand Texas conspiracy… Poor Lyles. The Evil Longhorn is out to keep the black man down..
There is so much poor me in that interview it makes me sick. Somehow he is all of the sudden a scapegoat after getting caught doing some questionable practices. If he was so far on the up and up, then why did he sent outdated reports to OU. It is not like the evil Longhorn planted those to make him look bad..
What a load of crap…
6:19 pm on June 21st, 2011
this shit just got real. sounds like the NZZZAA is starting to look at the street pimps. look at the garbage he is peddling and you think that passes the smell test for 25k?
If it does, I want to sell some shit to Oregon.
pleaseeeeeeeeeeee………
8:11 am on June 22nd, 2011
agreed with anaymous
2:21 pm on June 22nd, 2011
Willie says the reason he charges $25,000 is because unlike the other services that provide 1,000 videos and expect the coach to go thru them to find 15 kids who fit his program, Willie provides 30 videos with maybe 15 to 20 that fit. Good, Willie! Do you really believe these coaches that are paid millions to build a football program are going to let you winnow the list and do the talent evaluations? If that is the value proposition for the $25K then Chip Kelley should be fired for incompetence not cheating. And oh, bye the way, you mailed Chip 140 profiles and none of them fit.
9:08 pm on June 22nd, 2011
The real undercurrent of the Lyles situation isn’t Texas but Auburn. Seastrunk was lined up to go to Auburn but problems related to the NCAA, Trooper Taylor, and the Big Cat Weekend forced auburn to back off of Seastrunk. However, Auburn has two other highly visible recruits that have connections to Lyles: Trovon Reed & Greg Robinson.
Both young men were steered by street agent Sean Nelson, who is closely connected to Lyles. Willie Lyles is like Walt Williams formerly running Pinnacle Sports, a business that offered “marketing” at different levels for high school prospects. WIlliams, who has been sued for defrauding clients, steered clients to Auburn.
The common thread in all this is Trooper Taylor, a man that is deeply connected to the street agent scene in college football. While at Tennessee, Taylor got the top talent out of South Florida, talent that Miami was all over. When Miami cleaned up its act, Taylor swooped in and took over their recruiting through pimps/agents. He has carried that approach to Auburn. There is a quickening spiral in college football, one that is leading it toward AAU-style recruiting. If people like Lyles, schools like Oregon and Auburn, and Coaches like Trooper Taylor aren’t slowed down, every recruiting battle will be like Cam Newton’s: Dad pimping out Junior to the highest bidder.
11:16 pm on June 22nd, 2011
This guy is an idiot!!!!!!!!!!!!
10:53 am on June 23rd, 2011
This is hardly damning eveidence against Oregon, but you can be sure UT will be investgated.
4:20 pm on June 23rd, 2011
sci - All programs have their skeletons but on the list of suspect programs or coaches, I don’t think Texas or Mack Brown show up very high.